Ornamental neckwear



Nov. 23, 1965 J w, 555 3,218,650

ORNAMENTAL NECKWEAR Filed Sept. 4, 1964 INVENTOR Joseph W. Less ATTORNEY;

United States Patent 3,218,650 ORNAMENTAL NECKWEAR Joseph W. Less, Clinton, Iowa, assignor to One-in-Hand Tie Company, Clinton, Iowa, a partnership of Iowa Filed Sept. 4, 1964, Ser. No. 394,552 2 Claims. (Cl. 2154) This invention relates to neckwear, and more particularly to ornamented bow ties.

Though numerous advances have been made in the bow tie art heretofore, including particularly the development of satisfactory pre-tied bow ties and of various practical and effective devices for attaching bow ties to the collar or neckband of the wearer, no way has heretofore been found in which bow ties could be provided with ornamentation exterior to the fabric or other material from which the tie is made.

A general object of this invention is to provide a bow tie having a new and unusual appearance.

Another object is to provide ornamented bow ties wherein the ornament is in the form of a suspended medallion or the like which may constitute the insignia or emblem of a civic club, fraternal order, trade association, church group, etc., or may be purely esthetic.

Another object is to provide a pre-tied bow tie having an ornament suspended therefrom in such fashion that the ornament is readily removable and interchangeable with other similar ornaments.

In order that the manner in which the foregoing and other objects are attained in accordance with the invention can be understood in detail, one particularly advantageous embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a pre-tied bow tie having an ornament suspended therefrom in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the tie shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the ornament is attached to, or removed from, the tie.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention here illustrated comprises a pre-tied bow tie, indicated generally at 1, and a suspended ornament, indicated generally at 2. The tie 1 includes a tie body 3, conventionally formed of textile fabric or the like, and a center band 4 which encircles and compresses the central portion of tie body 3.

The ornament 2 is in the form of a generally fiat medallion and is suspended from the tie by means of the two arms 5 which extend upwardly from the rear face of the medallion. The medallion comprises a main body or jewel secured to a metal supporting plate which is bent over forwardly at its periphery to secure the main body or jewel in place. At their lower ends, the suspending arms 5 are joined by a bar 6, arms 5 and bar 6 being formed as an integral unit from suitable relatively stiff metal. The bar 6 is rigidly afiixed to the medallion, as by a solder joint between the bar and the rear face of the metal plate constituting the back of the medallion. The upper end portions 7 of arms 5 are bent to extend toward each other, along a common axis extending in the direction of the width of the medallion. Portions 7 terminate short of each other, so that there is a substantial gap between the tips of the two portions 7, as will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 3.

When the encircling center band 4 is applied to the tie body, all of the layers of the material at the center of the tie body are folded upon themselves along a central axis extending longitudinally of the tie. Hence, when the center band has been secured in place, as by 3,218,650 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 stitching, a longitudinally extending, forwardly opening groove 8 is permanently established in the tie body. When the ornament is to be applied to the tie, the tie is held between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, as seen in FIG. 3, with the groove 8 opening away from the hand. With the other hand, the ornament is manipulated to insert one of the end portions 7 into the groove 8 and behind the front portion of the center band 4. The ornament is then moved upwardly and to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3, and pivoted to bring the other end portion 7 into the groove 8, such movement causing the center band to be temporarily deformed so as to pass between the two portions 7. With both end portions 7 now engaged behind the center band, the ornament is then adjusted to the centered, properly depending position seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. With the ornament thus installed, the center band 4 returns to its normal position, so that it overlies the major portion of both of the end portions 7, as seen in FIG. 1, the ornament thus being securely retained on the tie.

The tie 1 is provided with a wire collar clip 9 of any suitable conventional construction and configuration, the clip being fixed to the central portion of the tie at the rear thereof in any suitable fashion, as seen in FIG. 2. It will be understood that the clip 9 is of such configuration as to be engageable over and behind the neck band of the wearers collar, so as to retain the tie in place. The tie also comprises a stabilizing element 10, formed from a relatively thin sheet of resinous material or the like, the central portion of the stabilizing element extending through and being secured by the center band 4. Stabilizing element 10 also includes two spaced upwardly projecting wings 11 which, when the tie is worn, engage under the fold between the collar band and the neck band to urge the tie downwardly and maintain clip 9 in place behind the neck band.

Clip 9 and stabilizing element 10 coact to hold the tie in a stable, centered position when worn, with the tie being kept from twisting relative to the plane of the wearers neck band. The suspending arms 5, with their inturned upper end portions 7 properly engaged behind the center band 4, maintain the ornament in centered, suspended position relative to the center band of the tie, as seen in FIG. 1.

From FIG. 3, it will be understood that the ornament can be removed simply and easily from the tie, so as to be cleaned and replaced, or so that another, similarly constructed ornament can be substituted therefor.

Though the supporting means comprising arms 5 and bar 6 is advantageously formed as an integral unit from suitable metal, it will be understood that other suitable materials can be employed, including synthetic resinous materials and the like having sufiicient rigidity to insure that the inturned end portions 7 will remain engaged behind the center band 4. Though it is particularly advantageous to employ, in accordance with the invention, a tie body fabricated from a plurality of layers of textile material, so that the groove 8 is easily formed and permanently retained by the center band, it will be understood that other materials from which bow ties can be fabricated may be employed. Similarly, the ornament 2 can be made in any manner, and though the illustrated embodiment, employing a fiat medallion of a width substantially equal to the Width of the center band, is particularly advantageous, it will be understood that the ornament can take other forms.

The relationship between the groove 8 and the inturned upper end portions 7 of the suspending arms is important not only because it allows ease of attachment and removal of the ornament, in the fashion seen in FIG. 3, but also because it tends to more positively retain the suspended ornament in a fixed relation with respect to the tie body. Thus, the inturned end portions 7 are urged into the groove by the center band, being generally aligned with the groove, once the ornament has been adjusted to the final position seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. The suspending arms 5 are of such length that the ornament is held in a position spaced below the structure defined by center band 4, and the ornament projects well below the tie so as to be attractively displayed against the shirt front of the wearer. In the illustrated embodiment, the flat medallion is of such a height, and is so positioned relative to the bar 6 to which it is afiixed, that the upper portion of the medallion lies in front of the lower portion of the center band of the tie, while the lower portion of the medallion is spaced well below the tie.

What is claimed is: 1. An article of neckwear comprising, in combination,

a pre-tied bow tie formed of textile fabric material and including:

a tie body having a central portion, and a center band encircling said central portion of said tie body and compressing said tie body, the central portion of said tie body including a longitudinally extending, forwardly opening fold with said fold providing a recess beneath the front portion of said center band and being maintained by said center band; a pendant ornament; and support means suspending said pendant ornament from said tie;

said support means being secured to said pendant ornament and including a pair of arms projecting upwardly from and above said pendant ornament and having upper end portions aligned with and projecting toward each other, said upper end portions being spaced apart and being engaged in said recess and retained by said center band. 2. An article of neckwear according to claim 1, wherein said pendant ornament is a flat medallion,

said arms are of rigid material and are fixed to said medallion at the back thereof, the relative dimensions of said medallion, said support means and said pre-tied bow tie being such that, when said upper end portions of said arms are engaged in said recess, the upper portion of said medallion lies in front of the lower portion of said center band and the lower portion of said medallion is spaced below said tie.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,617,107 11/1952 Semmel 2151 2,941,212 6/1960 Caparosa 2-154 FOREIGN PATENTS 894,954 4/1962 Great Britain. 467,469 12/1951 Italy.

88,369 2/1921 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF NECKWEAR COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PRE-TIED BOW TIE FORMED OF TEXTILE FABRIC MATERIAL AND INCLUDING: A TIE BODY HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION, AND A CENTER BAND ENCIRCLING SAID CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID TIE BODY AND COMPRESSING SAID TIE BODY, THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID TIE BODY INCLUDING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, FORWARDLY OPENING FOLD WITH SAID FOLD PROVIDING A RECESS BENEATH THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID CENTER BAND AND BEING MAINTAINED BY SAID CENTER BAND; A PENDANT ORNAMENT; AND SUPPORT MEANS SUSPENDING SAID PENDANT ORNAMENT FROM SAID TIE; SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING SECURED TO SAID PENDANT ORNAMENT AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF ARMS PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM AND ABOVE SAID PENDANT ORNAMENT AND HAVING UPPER END PORTIONS ALIGNED WITH AND PROJECTING TOWARD EACH OTHER, SAID UPPER END PORTIONS BEING SPACED APART AND BEING ENGAGED IN SAID RECESS AND RETAINED BY SAID CENTER BAND. 